Back in October, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) announced the launch of an online driver’s licence disk renewal system. That launch has been pushed out to ‘early 2022’, according to the South African Post Office.
The service would allow South Africans the ability to renew their driver’s licence disks via a digital portal on the NaTIS website, while FNB would manage the payment gateway and the Post Office would manage deliveries of the disks.
The Post Office’s sick 180
In a recent press statement, the state-owned postal service detailed its reasoning for the delay. “The SA Post Office’s online renewal facility for motor vehicle licences has been delayed by administrative and legal requirements and is expected to be launched in early 2022,” it said.
The service didn’t explain exactly which requirements it is currently ironing out. It may be related to the current court battle with Postnet and other courier companies over Schedule 2 of the Postal Services Act. The Post Office is holding firm that it has a legal monopoly on delivering parcels that weigh under 1kg.
The original announcement made it sound like the system was already live and available to access, but users couldn’t manage to find the functionality in the NaTIS website. Until ‘early 2022’, car owners will just have to stand in a few queues and lose their patience a few more times.
Of course, there are a few third-party licence renewal services that charge a premium over and above the renewal fee. These include Renewonline, Licence ZA, ChatBack and even FNB.
Source: MyBroadband